Mirror, Mirror
by VRTrinity
Summary: In Raven's room, there is a mirror on the wall. Everyone sees different things: desires, fears, memories, and more. But what happens when one finds themself stuck in this dimension, and how do they get out? R&R please! Chapter 2's in!
1. Once Upon A Terra

"Raven?"

Beast Boy poked his head into the dark room. He had gotten used to going in without permission but it never failed to give him the creeps, because every time he'd gone in here, it hadn't always led to a pleasant event. Mirrors, he had to be especially careful of those. Was it because he had smashed just about all the mirrors in the funhouse once? But they hadn't liked him before either.

"Raven?" Beast Boy called again, cocking his head from side to side.

Everyone knew that she had a special way of catching you unawares, now that so many people had grown accustomed to freely walking into her room, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Finding people in her room absolutely annoyed Raven, big-time. So did playing pranks on her and rambling off jokes, but hey, he was used to it.

Besides, today there was a specific, _serious_ reason he'd come in. Tomorrow was Raven's birthday. Hopefully it would be more fun and less "end of the world" than last year's, and Beast Boy was going to decorate her room. That would really tick her off. But first, of course, she couldn't know about it until after it was done and therefore couldn't be in her room. If Raven _had_ been, Beast Boy would've informed her of the chickens Starfire had recently brought home. When she ignored him, he would add that Star told them all of the girls' complete infatuation of the birds and that of course her dear friend Raven would take one as a "beloved pet". Then she'd be out of the room for a good long while. All part of the plan. Maybe that's where she was right now.

Well, wherever she was, Beast Boy was safe for the moment. He inspected a set of wooden masks, their dismal expressions sending chills up his spine (he'd probably make it smile), and he stayed far away from the hand mirror on top of a dresser. Where to start decorating? Looking to his right, he realized he'd never really been in the front corner's area before, and what he saw shocked him.

It was a girl, but not just any girl.

She brushed a few specks of dirt from her dusty brown gloves; her boots were also slightly caked with mud. Her legs were skinny, skinnier than Beast Boy's with bright yellow shorts shorter than Starfire's skirt. That and her belly shirt at least looked newer than the other things; it was long-sleeved, and black with a "T" emblem in the center surrounded by a circle. He wondered if it stood for "Teen" or "Titans" or something else he was hoping for. The shirt displayed her thin, slender stomach—something Raven would never do—which was way too lean to be healthy. She tossed her hair to the side a couple times, her long, golden hair that gleamed in the light. Where had that come from? But best of all, her glittering blue eyes were smiling at him. He hardly dared to breathe.

'Terra?"

She grinned and reached out her hand, which she used to pull Beast Boy closer as he eagerly grabbed it. "You wanna hit the bumper cars?"

He turned around a minute to find the fair surrounding him, its rides whirring, people happily buzzing and zipping around, the deep, beautiful night sky with trillions of shimmering stars above. He felt his heart jump up in his throat and his eyes beginning to swim with tears at how it seemed so similar to that one day. That one, fateful day which was known to him as the best day of his life…and the worst. But maybe he could change it. There was only one way to find out.

Beast Boy took Terra's hands in his. "How about the Ferris wheel?"

She smiled and took hold of his arm. "I thought you'd never ask."

They boarded the carriage hand in hand, just like before, and they were still on number three. He had wanted that one the first time on the Ferris wheel because that was the number Robin and Starfire had ridden on. Although, considering that both dates had been interrupted—one by Slade and the other by a Centari police drone—maybe it wasn't the best choice for romance.

Soon, Beast Boy would make his promise that he'd always be her friend, and this time he'd keep it. All she had to do was ask. But Terra didn't. She simply stared through the tiny holes in the compartment, a smile still faintly etched in her face. He looked the other way, his face suddenly hot and completely at a loss for words.

"Beast Boy?"

He stifled a gasp when his nose practically touched hers as he looked back to her. Their faces both tinged a dull pink, and though Beast Boy scooted two millimeters back, Terra didn't recoil. If anything, she moved a little closer.

"I wanted you to know that this has been the best day of my entire life, and there's no one I'd rather have spent it with than you."

Even closer now. Beast Boy reached out a hand to caress her cheek, and they both smiled in a dazed, slow-motion, dreamy sort of way.

"Terra, I'll always be your friend, no matter what."

Eyes fluttering closed; they leaned in for the kiss, the one he had never gotten, the one that could change everything.

But he still never got it.

"I'm not the girl you want me to be."

Beast Boy had immediately flipped open his eyes because it was undoubtedly Terra's voice. She was still in front of him though, now looking confused, her large, blue eyes asking, _why did you stop?_ Almost accusingly.

On the other side of the seats, Beast Boy searched the shadows for Slade. But he found another girl.

Her posture was stiff, legs tucked together, hands folded in her lap, and though her back was straight, her head was hunched over. This caused her blonde hair to fall over her face. Her blue skirt was unusually short for a school uniform. The white short-sleeved dress shirt followed with a black tie made her seem more mature, or maybe just strict. Her feet, hidden in shiny, black shoes or boots—somewhere in between them—with little silver buckles, clicked against each other in a nervous, irregular beat. She lifted her head, and Beast Boy saw the same blue eyes, but not the same. The Terra next to him had sapphires that showed her love and friendship towards him. These eyes were a grayish blue without shine who regarded him suspiciously, unfamiliarly, and as a stranger.

But it was Terra. Another Terra.

The girl he loved, the one he desperately missed, took his face in her hands, letting their eyes meet again. She was concerned for him, but seemed oblivious to the fact that another person was on the ride with them. Not to mention that that person was herself.

"I don't understand. You don't want me?"

"No, Terra, I mean, of course I do! It's just…" He glanced from her to the other girl and rubbed his temples forlornly. "I'm so confused…"

Suddenly, the carriage gave a violent shudder, which continued into a series of tremors. The Ferris wheel was going down! The Terras both screamed and Beast Boy rushed to the window. High above, he saw…Terra, hands outstretched, glowing yellow, floating on a hovering rock. She was identical to the one sitting with him. He watched a green bird dart away from the falling structure—himself—and Slade on the top carriage, his single visible eye wide.

Both he and Beast Boy yelled, "Terra! No!"

If the Ferris wheel hadn't been in the process of collapsing on top of him, Beast Boy would've seen Slade swiftly dive off and escape into the black abyss beyond. But he couldn't figure out how he could save the two girls trapped inside with him, and let alone himself, in the five seconds he figured he had. And he didn't. He made the quick decision to shut out all the perplexing problems and transformed into a turtle, safe inside his shell.

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Beast Boy remained within the comforting darkness for a long time, as long as he needed to calm himself down. He finally convinced himself that it was all a wild dream, and when he returned to human form, he'd be back in bed, probably finding something rotten in his midnight tofu snack. It had to be a dream, of course, nothing else explained this madness. But he did not find himself underneath his covers. Instead, he was beneath a bunch of rocks. He pushed the rubble off himself, coughing at the cloud of dust it created. So much for being a dream.

"Beast Boy!"

Terra came dashing towards him. Her hair was messy as if she hadn't gotten the chance to brush it for a while, and her gloves showed signs of wearing down with small holes in them. The goggles, still slung around her neck, jostled as she ran, the glass shattered. She was wearing a gray t-shirt with black at the shoulders area and blue jean shorts, the edges frayed and ripped. Face torn in worry and shame, she helped Beast Boy up.

"I'm sorry! I'm just so stupid." She put her hands against her head as if it hurt.

"Terra, it's okay. You…" He stopped himself. He had been about to say "You can't control your powers yet. So what?" but decided he'd rather not.

He turned his attention back to the Ferris wheel ruins. Beast Boy remembered with a start that he hadn't been alone when the ride was destroyed and began pulling tons of rock out of the pile.

"Help me! There were people with me; they could still be alive!" Though he didn't know what he'd do with _three_ Terras.

Terra nodded, and reached to put her goggles on, but realized that they were broken. Lip trembling, she took a deep breath and her eyes dissolved into a bright yellow as she lifted her arms. All the stones flew up, but they started spinning in a whirlwind. Terra stared helplessly and tears began slipping down her face.

"I can't lose control, I can't lose control…" she repeated to herself over and over, but the tears rand own faster, her voice started cracking, and the rocks ripped through the sky in a thunderous funnel around her.

Beast Boy made his way to her, regardless of what scratched or hit him, and swept her into his arms. He stroked the side of her head soothingly, running his fingers through her hair while careful not to get it tangled in any knots.

"It's okay," he whispered, "I'm here now."

She had one more sob; then hugged him back. "I just want to go home," she choked.

_Poor Terra_, he thought bitterly, wondering if she had ever had a real home. He guessed he probably didn't want to know unless he wanted to start crying too.

"I'll take you there, I promise."

How many more promises was he going to break?

The rocks, having lost Terra's grip on them, had crashed to the ground. Leaving Terra safely on the sidelines, Beast Boy had searched for the other girls despite how unlikely the possibility of finding them in one piece was. So it was no surprise when he couldn't uncover anything. For all he knew, everything was one, huge hallucination. Definitely the tofu. Tired from the work of heaving debris, he sighed heavily and turned to Terra. He tried to smile and lent his hand.

"Let's go home."

At least nothing abnormal had happened as they walked to the tower. It was slow travel, but Beast Boy wouldn't even consider asking Terra to fly them there. She clung to his arm, eyes darting about nervously, and he gave her hand a quick squeeze to try and calm her down. He was having trouble deciphering his feeling for Terra.

Did he love her? Did she love him? He thought it had been that way for a long time, but there were so many different sides to her. _This_ girl…he felt sorry for her. The one at the fair he had truly wanted to be with, to hold, and to, well, kiss. He shuddered as he remembered the Terra under the influence of Slade. She was a traitor, a double-crosser, and she hated him. But perhaps that was how she felt about _him_, and all she really was was just a lost soul all alone in the world. And there was the last one, the girl who didn't even know him. How could he possibly have a relationship with her? The only thing left to figure out was which girl Terra really was. Who was Terra? A little, confused child with no place to go? The girl Beast Boy had dreamed of, waited for, and missed? Or was she the black-hearted witch that Slade had maybe saved him from?

_All of them._

After their long trek, the two had finally reached Titans Tower.

"Okay, Terra, we're safe now. You'll be all right, everything will be fine." He added, "I promise."

He started to push in the access code when something smashed into his back. Terra's linked arm was ripped apart from his, and her shrill scream echoed painfully in his ears.

_No!_

"Terra!"

But she was gone as he spun around. In her place was yet another girl. This girl wore silver armor, making her chest and hips appear much wider. Her arms and legs were bound tightly in white cloth. Beast Boy didn't even know what to call the twin accessories on her head. They looked like they could've been barrettes, but they obviously didn't do their job well, because a sheet of stringy hair fell over her right eye. An orange, serpentine "s" was attached to her chest piece. The look in her eye was one of recklessness and murder.

Terra. Once again.

She laughed wickedly and thrust a flurry of spiked pebbles at Beast Boy. He flipped to the side, but yelped as flaming lava spurted from the ground beneath him. They weren't in front of the tower anymore, but underground. The lava's luminosity flickered of the orange stain-glass windows, though Beast Boy had no clue as to why such a thing would be put so deep beneath the surface. The place shook and more magma erupted from even farther below, as if hell itself were pushing its way up. Beast Boy wouldn't have been surprised if this _was_ hell itself. The girl he loved was going to kill him. He cried out as Terra leapt upon him, seizing his wrists and trying to pin him down.

"You really thought I loved you, didn't you?" she sneered. "All I wanted to do was humiliate you. Betray you. _Terminate_ you."

"Liar!" Beast Boy shouted with a strong effort to throw her off him, but unsuccessful. He could feel rock hardening over his feet and continued frantically struggling.

"For once, I'm telling you the truth. You should've listened to your old, wicked friend Raven after all, though I don't blame you. From the moment you laid eyes on me, I knew I had you wrapped around my finger, like the sorry excuse for a human you are. Oh, wait, you're not a human. I forgot," she said sarcastically.

His vision almost blurred from tears, but he pushed them back. The Terra he knew and loved would never say such a mean thing. In fact, she wouldn't be mocking him, joining Slade, or practically murdering him either. The rock had sealed up to his waist. He tried to transform, but for some reason, it wasn't working.

_Come _on! _Gorilla, dinosaur, elephant: whatever!_

Terra stood up to admire her work. Only Beast Boy's face was free from the stone tomb. She smiled deviously and retrieved a rock from elsewhere in the cavern, shaping it until it became a sharp sword, intended to skewer him.

And he knew it.

"Why, Terra?" he asked softly.

The lava was spilling everywhere now.

Her eye glowed the death signal yellow.

"Because I felt like it."

And everything went black.

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_She killed me_, Beast Boy thought blankly. _Terra killed me._

…Then why am I still alive?

He sat up, looking down at himself. He was okay, still in one piece and as green as ever. However, his surroundings consisted merely of an endless black void. Empty, he supposed. But then something in the distance came into focus.

Terra.

Of course.

But it was a different one again. She was solid stone, and a plaque stood by her feet.

_Terra: A Teen Titan, a true friend_.

Beast Boy had put it there himself, and for a good reason.

Because he believed in Terra.

Or he _had._

"Oh, Terra…" He reached up and wrapped his hand around her lifeless, stone one. Or perhaps she was still alive and was watching him from behind her self-imposed prison. Hating him or aching to be with him? He half expected the cold fingers to curl around his, for the statue to come to life. This was still a dream, wasn't it?

"Beast Boy…"

A flutter of whispers scurried about the room, in and out of his ears, but he already knew who it came from. The words continued to repeat themselves through the girls' mouths didn't move. It was all of the Terras. Beast Boy gasped as the one had had forgotten he was holding crumbled to dust. He backed away from the crowd of blue eyes staring him down. His name was still hissing through the air, and he never knew that one word—his own name for crying out loud!—could hurt so much. He sank to his knees, hands covering his ears in a vain effort to drown out the noise. The whispering only got louder.

It was time to wake up.

_I have to get out of here,_ Beast Boy told himself through gritted teeth.

Too many thoughts, too many memories were flooding through him. It was too agonizing to bear.

Terra.

She was one girl with one life, just like everyone else. But she was so different.

_No more trust._

_No more chances._

_No more mercy._

Was it he or Terra that should be speaking these words?

Beast Boy looked up. He thought he'd heard something, well, something besides the constant cries of his name. The Terra that he thought he loved and maybe still did was beckoning to him. She held up a silver, heart-shaped box: the gift he had given to her on their first—and last—date. The lid started to open, and Terra smiled welcomingly.

_The way out._

This was how he ended this horrible nightmare! He almost laughed out loud and stood to start sprinting. Terra grinned wider, a warm light seeming to glow from within. Beast Boy smiled back, despite the fact that everything seemed to be moving in slow-motion. It was still in slow-motion when he saw something _awful_: horribly, absolutely _awful. _A crack in the box. Soon, it wasn't just a tiny crack but the whole ceramic container that Beast Boy had hand-crafted himself had split as if somebody had crushed it in an iron fist. Slade probably wouldn't have minded, but it didn't matter.

Beast Boy began to holler, "_NO!_"

But the shards were already separated, and they clattered to the floor like twinkling rain drops. All the Terras vanished, other than the remains of the stone statue, and the torturous whispering had ceased.

Beas Boy fell to the floor, devastated. There was no way to escape; it was all over. He clawed at the shattered pieces hopelessly and started sobbing. It was pitiful, but there was no one to see him.

It must've been at least forever until he managed to stop and pull himself together.

"Beast Boy! Beast Boy!"

"Leave me alone!" he shrieked, but he realized it wasn't Terra's voice. "Raven? Starfire?" He listened a little longer. "Robin?"

He got to his feet and ran about the nothingness, but true to its state of matter, there was nothing to be found.

"Guys, help me! Help! I'm stuck, I'm trapped!...And I'm all alone…"

"Beast Boy…"

"No!" It was Terra again. This time her tone was soft and gentle but he didn't care. He refused to see her.

"Beast Boy, I'm here to help you. You called, right?"

"I don't believe you."

"Then why did you put this plaque here?"

Beaten at his own game, he slowly turned to face her and almost choked. It was Terra, of course, but it was a new, never-seen-before, perhaps non-existent Terra. She was floating above her broken grave, donned in a pale white gown, the elegant, translucent sleeves drifting in the air. Beautiful sky blue wings sprouted from her back: delicately flapping angel's wings.Her golden hair sparkled in the light that radiated from her and it was held out of her eyes by a glittering, silver butterfly clip.

"Who are you?"

Obviously it was Terra, and he felt stupid asking, but they both knew what he meant. She smiled and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

"Ever heard of A Christmas Carol?" She stooped down off her "perch" and glided to the scattered glass remnants.

"Yeah." Who hadn't? But apparently he was missing the point because she raised her eyebrows expectantly at him. He thought a little more, trying to guess her connection to it. "With the three spirits: past, present, and future."

"You could call me the spirit…" Beast Boy's face lit up as the broken pieces began to shine a gold aura and assembled in the air, like puzzle pieces. "…of Terra yet to come."

The box looked new as ever in all its gleaming glory and she offered it to him. As the lid opened again, a brilliant white light began to fill up the whole room. It enveloped Beas Boy, coating him in what felt like a sticky, sweet layer of…light, he guessed. Terra smiled again and kissed his forehead.

"Thank you, Terra."

It became too intense to see anything, but he glimpsed her grin one last time.

"You were the best friend I ever had."

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"I think he's awake."

"Terra…?" Beast Boy mumbled as he struggled to lift his heavy eyelids.

He yelped as his ribcage was suddenly crushed in a bone-breaking hug. "Oh, my friend! I feared you would never awaken!" Starfire cried joyously.

He rubbed his aching arms as she let go, noticing that Robin and Raven also looked a little sore.

"So, what's going on?"

Raven came forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "I thought we had lost you," she whispered. "When the box broke, I thought you were gone forever."

His face went from green to red, but he patted her back reassuringly until she too pulled apart.

"There's no time to waste," Robin snapped, though he had politely waited for their embrace to finish. "We need to rescue Cyborg!"

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"I guess I didn't really need rescuing, at least, compared to your adventures," Cyborg admitted as Beast Boy finished his story.

"Can we _please_ get out of my room? Make waffles or something?" Raven demanded, because she didn't beg.

"Of course! Let us engorge the midnight snack!"

"Whatever you do, do _NOT_ look back," Raven warned, holding up a "caution" finger.

They all nodded, eager to attack some grub. Starfire took Robin's hand and led them out the door, followed by Cyborg. Despite what Raven said, Beast Boy cast a glance in the forbidden direction.

Terra was just in the middle of folding her miraculous blue-feathered wings behind her. She flashed him a dazzling smile, her whole body shining in an unknown light and waved. He grinned back, but Raven snatched his arm up sharply; then she smiled, a little embarrassed at the awkwardness. They walked out of the room hand in hand, and Beast Boy winked at Terra as he closed the door with one final click.

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Yay, chapter one is over! Was that long or was it just me? Don't worry, everything will make sense by the end of the story. I hope you liked it, but I think I used the word "maybe" too much, and Beast Boy kept getting called out. Oh, and I used "cry/cried" a lot too. Anyway, it was really fun to write and I'm working on part two! Enjoy. 


	2. Blood On My Hands

WARNING: THIS FANFICTION CONTAINS BLOOD AND STUFF SO BEWARE!

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The minute she heard clucking, Raven immediately sprung out of her room and down the stairs. _Chickens, in the tower._ Surely, she was imagining things. But to her dismay, she wasn't.

Starfire lay out on the sofa, arms stretching to the sides, each serving as a perch to a big, fat, lazy _chicken._ Her head perked up as Raven came through the doors.

"Raven! I knew your arrival would be shortly made."

Raven blinked, staring at the birds. "What are _those_," she pointed a quivering in rage finger at the chickens; then flipped it towards the ground, "doing in _here_?"

"Upon the joyous coming of your star day tomorrow, I have retrieved the cute animals of which we both intimately enjoy! See, Raven, I know that you and I cannot resist their adorable black eyes, or their little beaks, the whimsical noises which protrude from them, or their absolute snow-white wings and feathers of radiance! Our love is boundless!"

"Get them OUT."

She was ignored and Starfire continued blissfully, "Since I am so well aware of this special relationship, I knew that my dear friend Raven would take one of these glorious chickens as her beloved pet!"

Raven slammed the door shut.

She stormed back up to her room, taking a seat on her bed. No way would she _ever_ keep a chicken as a pet. The way Starfire was announcing it; you'd think they were getting married. Real "two birds of a feather". Whatever. She folded her legs and lifted her arms, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zin—"

She opened her left eye to discover that her foot had nudged a bag of balloons. She picked it up, now finding streamers and other decorations littering her covers. Raven had almost forgotten that the next day was her birthday. The party bags were enclosed in blackness and shredded it to pieces. She dropped the fragments of rubber left in her hands and pulled her knees in against her chest, chewing nervously at a fingernail. She hated her birthday.

Last year had been awful, why shouldn't this year? Though there was a good chance the end of the world wouldn't repeat itself, she was sure something just as dreadful could—and would—happen. She looked up and gasped as she saw the mark of scath, glowing bright and ominous in red flames, lighting up the room in a deathly blaze. Though the heat was searing up all the way to her face, chills slashed down Raven's spine.

And then it was all gone.

Raven inhaled a few shuddering breaths, trying to steady herself, and got to her feet. She scanned the room suspiciously, but couldn't find anything out of place. That was, until she turned back to where she'd spotted the scath. A mirror was hanging on the wall, one that she didn't remember ever seeing before. It was rectangular, taller than her even if placed on the ground, and five gems lay in the crest at the frame's top.

Green, purple, blue, orange, and red.

Why did they seem so familiar when put together? The crystals were all dull at the moment, all but the green one, which was shimmering brightly with a light that seemed to be moving, almost like a pulse. But of course, the jewel and the mirror weren't going anywhere. Raven looked into the mirror, only to find a reflection of herself staring back at her. She put her hands against the cold glass, knowing the mirror couldn't mean anything good, but having absolutely no idea as to what it exactly did. She thought her image had blonde hair and blue eyes for a minute, but as she blinked it was just herself again.

Either this mirror was up to its tricks, or she was just going crazy. With the life Raven lived, she wouldn't have been surprised if the second option were true. The mirror was seriously starting to freak her out, and she decided maybe that she didn't want to know what it did. She started to invoke her telekinesis when Beast Boy flashed across the glass. Mouth agape, she put her hand down and continued to stare but his face had vanished.

Raven began to put two and two together. A green-skinned boy and a green gem? She realized someone had to have come in her room to start decorating it behind her back, and where were they now? The other jewels were dark, so no one else had fallen prey to its trap yet. It was creepy how Raven was able to relate their colors to her teammates.

The green changeling and a green gem.

The purple-haired sorceress and a purple gem.

A bright blue electronic cyborg and a matching blue gem.

An orange-skinned Tamaranean and an orange gem.

And a boy with a red shirt and a red gem.

Raven felt a trickle of icy fear flood her limbs from the back of her neck as the purple amethyst began to flicker.

"No!"

Without a second thought she thrust her hand forward, black magic surrounding the mirror, and it crashed to the ground. Though the shining glass shards had definitely been broken, the two jewels were still lit up. Shaking and scared, Raven could feel her heart beating faster, frantically. Before she could fling the scattered pieces out the window, they came to life and flew at her. She almost screamed and turned away, shielding her face with her arms and putting up a barricade around herself. The sharp fragments shot right through her telekinetic defense and began grazing her body, like a million paper cuts underneath her skin all at once. Raven cried out and sunk to her knees, clutching herself in an effort to nullify the agonizing pain, or maybe painful agony.

She gasped when she touched not her velvet black sleeves, but bare skin. It was even more shocking when she discovered the countless glowing red marks of scath engraved into every spot of her visible. Just like last year.

She touched her forehead, unable to see the symbol there, but traced with her finger where she knew it was. Her fingers fell to her hair, which ended at her chin, in the crude jags she'd cut it in. Instead of the long, flowing violet locks she'd expected, it was just her same old hair. Raven would never admit that she liked the way long hair felt; the way it tickled your neck and shoulders when it swayed. But it was so hard to tame, and she could never figure out how, regardless of the fact that it was her own hair. More importantly, it reminded her of her father and the prophecy. So she chopped it off. She had, at least, but it kept growing back.

The prophecy couldn't be repeated after what had happened last time.

Could it?

Raven didn't dare to think about it. She hoped that if her hair remained at its normal height, it just couldn't happen. It sounded stupid, but it kept her confidence—and not to mention her sanity—from breaking.

Only until Slade appeared out of nowhere.

He leaped at her and they both smashed into the wall of the room and through it. Flying through the air, Raven struggled to slide her arms away, but his grip stayed unbreakable. Her belt had ripped off from the impact.

_Shoot_, Raven thought. _My belt and my cloak are the only articles of clothing I have with tracking devices. Not that I have many clothes on, if any at all that count._ She shuddered. _But now my friends won't be able to find me; to SAVE me!_

"You want to see your friends?" Slade hissed.

He also had Trigon's insignia printed on his mask.

_What am I thinking!? Of course the titans aren't here because this all has something to do with that stupid mirror! I thought I broke it._

"You haven't broken anything," Slade replied.

_It _is _the mirror,_ Raven confirmed, only mildly surprised he knew what she was thinking.

"Guess I'll have to go back and break it again."

Her eyes flashed white as she morphed into a giant force of energy in the shape of a black bird and headed for the tower through the empty sky.

Problem: the sky _was_ empty. She couldn't find her home anywhere.

Hopeless, Raven reverted to human and wrapped her arms around herself, clenching her eyes shut tight. It must've been some sort of illusion, some crazy messed up dream. She let out a shout as her hair was suddenly yanked upwards.

The last time someone had done this to her it had been Terra. It absolutely ticked her off, worse than pranks or an uninvited guest in her room. But mostly it had hurt. Not her head all that much compared to pain inside her. Terra had been their friend and Raven knew it. How that girl could've possibly thrown it all away—for what? For Slade? That really hurt.

This was different. Slade had never at once been her companion. He always freaked her out, especially during the end of the world, and he was probably doing more so now.

Having her within reach, he released her hair and securely snaked his arms around her torso instead. When her hair fell back, Raven noticed it drifting against her shoulders. It was long again. How dare he!

"Let go of me!" Raven shouted. She thrashed and kicked about wildly.

"All in good time, child." They began to descend, but Raven still couldn't see anything in the nothingness. He repeated, "All in good time."

The sky filled up with blood red clouds, drowning out any blues there might have been. She thought she saw buildings standing tall for a moment, but the next they had all collapsed in massive piles of debris. Why was everything repeating itself?

Slade uncoiled from her and she hit the ground.

"Get up, birthday girl."

"It's not my birthday." Raven didn't move. "This can't be happening. I won't let it!" she whispered.

She pressed her hands to her ears.

"You can't escape your destiny," Slade reminded her casually.

"Raven?"

She finally looked up. Slade had disappeared, but Cyborg roamed among the ruins instead.

"Please go away, Cyborg." She moaned as a splitting headache came on and turned away, clutching at her temples. "I don't want to hurt you."

He acted as if he hadn't heard her. Considering the way she was mumbling, maybe he hadn't. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, girl, let's get you home."

"Don't touch me, tin man!"

Her lips had moved, and her voice had come through, but she certainly hadn't said it! She wouldn't. Cyborg was her friend and she would never say such a cruel thing to him, or any of her friends.

This time though he had heard the alien shout, and startled, he took one step back.

Before she knew it she had pointed a finger at him. Cyborg shot up in the air, coated in the ethereal blackness. His body trembled violently until he was torn apart. Blood, bones, body parts, and bionic equipment rained across the wasteland.

"No, Cyborg, I didn't do it. No, no, no," Raven murmured hysterically. "It wasn't me! It _wasn't me!_"

Unable to bear the stress, Raven fled through the battered city, running as fast as she could. What was happening to her?

"Raven!"

It was Robin's voice.

"Leave me alone!" she shrieked and sprinted faster.

But Robin easily caught up and grabbed her arm. She tried to keep going and pulled and tugged but his grip was almost as strong and steely as Slade's.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Let me help you, please."

Tears held back at Cyborg's murder fell down her cheeks. "I don't want to hurt you," she repeated in anguish. "I don't want to kill you."

Again, her friend seemed oblivious the words spilling out of her mouth. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and at the touch feeling so similar to Cyborg's, Raven let out a strangled cry and shoved Robin away. She began to run again. He quickly recovered, leaping to his feet, and stopped Raven again.

"It's okay. I'm your friend, Raven."

Her mouth trembled as she tried to restrain the urge to speak. It didn't work. "Not anymore."

His face lit up with surprise—how could he hear her sometimes and not at others?—but he didn't have time for anything else. Raven lunged forward and her hand went through his chest.

"No!" she hollered, but she couldn't control herself.

Robin moaned hollowly like a ghost as her fingers searched for what it sought for a moment. Once it did, it clutched Robin's heart tightly. His groan turned into tortured yell, but when Raven squeezed tighter, there was only a faint pop before Robin limply fell to the ground. She yanked her hand out immediately, but it was too late.

"NO!" Raven screamed again. "I didn't do it! This isn't happen? Why, _why_?"

She knelt down at Robin's side but felt too ashamed and scared to touch him, and it wasn't long before she feared to even look at him. A fist-sized hole was bleeding nonstop, the blood soaking his already red shirt. The same red that dripped from Raven's hand. She sobbed and frantically tried to wipe the blood away from it, but the more she rubbed, the more it seemed to sink into her skin. Her tears had dried by the time she stood up, but only because her eyes had no more to give. When she was crushed in a humongous embrace, she was sure Slade had captured her again. But it was much, much worse.

"Oh, Raven, adored friend! I have found you!"

"Starfire! Not you too," Raven whispered, gradually rising to a shout. "I can't do this, no, I won't do this!"

"Whatever troubles you, dear friend?" She let go for a minute, blankly watching Raven break down into tears, and gasped when she saw Robin. Then she noticed the blood, sticky and still wet, staining Raven's right hand. "Raven…" she stuttered, her lower lip quivering and eyes straining to hold back tears. "Did you…? How could you…?"

"I didn't!" Raven protested, her face split in fear and disbelief at everything, but she found herself slowly nodding, irresistibly, as if to the beat of music. "I would never…"

Starfire's eyes ignited a fiery green. "I trusted you! We trusted you! Why have you betrayed us: your companions!"

It was as if the tables had turned on Raven. She had used so many words similar to what Starfire had just said when she had battled with Terra. Terra however had seemed unfazed at the words. Raven felt worse than she would've if she had suffered the same fates as Robin and Cyborg. If the two boys were still alive, would they resent her as much as Starfire did? It was too awful to think about what the answer could be.

Starfire sprang into the air, but after a moment drifted back down. Her hands were aglow with the same emerald light as her eyes.

"Kill me, Starfire, kill me!" Raven cried desperately, despite the fact that she knew no one but Slade could hear her. She didn't dare to add, _Before I kill you._

Starfire put her hands together and began to create an enormous star bolt. But as she reared back to push it off, her eyes softened, and the bright, once fierce green faded to a weak, dim light until it had all together disappeared. The Tamaranean looked sadly at Raven, her face stretched between decisions and emotions.

"Forgive me Robin," she called to the corpse hoarsely, "but I cannot force myself to harm someone who became, was, and perhaps still is, so precious to me. I cannot hurt one who is so close a friend."

Raven felt her heart shaking. After she had slaughtered Robin—not to mention Cyborg, but Star didn't know about that—Starfire was still willing to forgive her, to still be friends. After all that Raven had done, she was giving her another chance. She didn't know what to say, but the awful, most wrong wrongs that could've been said, tumbled out.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you."

She made a fluid sweeping motion which would've looked more regal and dominating if she had been wearing a cloak, but it didn't matter. A flock of midnight black birds soared out, their eyes glowing red and sharp teeth flashing menacingly as they shrieked inhumanly. They were birds with teeth, which was strange, but who knew what Trigon could do to birds if he could grow antlers for no apparent reason?

Starfire screamed as they flew towards her, the same scream she had been dragged into a pitch black hell by rats similar to these creatures on that one night the team had watched Wicked Scary. Raven tried to block out the scream, knowing it would echo in her ears, endlessly haunting her for the rest of her miserable life. The birds, so close together they created a dark cloud, swarmed over Starfire until she was completely enveloped, and the squirming mass all simply vanished.

Raven couldn't utter a single sound and hung her head hopelessly, her long hair creating a purple veil around her face. How _could_ she betray her friends like this? She didn't deserve Starfire's act of kindness to her, the one she had so treacherously thrown away.

"But it's not my fault!" Raven wailed. "I didn't want to, I didn't! _I didn't want to kill them!_"

She could no longer stand seeing Robin's body and once again started running. Three of her teammates gone, and that meant there was one more to go.

_Oh, no._

"Raven, thank goodness I've found you! I can't seem to find Star, Cy, or Robin anywhere."

So he didn't know yet. Was that good or bad?

Beast Boy waved about an electronic arm, the metal fingers flopping and the cut wires protruding from where an elbow should've been jiggled. "He must've dropped it. Heh, it's funny, but last time Cy lost his arm, it kind of acted all on its own. Now, it's just sort of dead."

Raven clasped her hands over her mouth and started backing away, for fear her lips would speak something she didn't want them to say. She darted behind a building, blinking back tears still fresh from her encounter with Starfire. Sure he would come around the corner and die before ever coming out again, she waited, knowing there was no way for her to avoid it. But when she peeked after what seemed like hours, she saw Slade standing in her place, with Beast Boy still rambling on about being stranded on an unknown planet. Slade was staring right at her, but for a second, Raven saw herself wickedly grinning back at her. Then Slade again.

_And I'll make you watch._

The words definitely came from Slade—now that he was officially capable of getting to her mind—but Raven couldn't figure out why the phrase sounded familiar. She was pretty sure she hadn't heard Slade say it before. Déjà vu. But she didn't have time to think about it because Slade had transformed back into her: Raven. He—well, she—turned to face Beast Boy and swept him up in a long, passionate kiss.

Raven's skin prickled, with fear for Beast Boy and even jealousy. But the other Raven didn't stop right there. In fact, her gestures and facial expression suggested things Raven didn't want to think about. Fortunately, Beast Boy was feeling overwhelmed and shrank away from the girl.

The lust in her eyes was quickly replaced with rage and her hand fit itself into a sheet of black and she made as swift, straight horizontal line in the air.

Raven gasped and covered her eyes. She did NOT, at all costs, want to see the thin streak of red against Beast Boy's throat, the blood begin to seep out faster, his head separate from the neck, and drop into the dirt with a soft plop followed by the loud thump of the headless body. But she accidentally opened her eyes too early and witnessed both fall, the blood squirting out in all its gory glory.

"_No!_" What else would she have screamed?

She leaped on top of her other self and wrestled on the ground, trying to strangle her. It was like looking into a mirror, which reminded Raven of something very vital.

_None of this is real! It's just that stupid mirror!_

As if worried that Raven knew its secret, the person dissolved back to Slade. He kicked Raven off himself and prepared large fireballs in his fists. The scath mark burned brightly on his forehead and that's when Raven knew what she had to do.

"What Robin wouldn't do to be me."

She reached up and flung off Slade's mask. A brilliant force of light exploded from whatever lay behind. The blinding whiteness encased her in a soft, secure blanket, and Raven closed her eyes, letting all her tenseness melt away, muscles relaxing.

Raven had felt so messed up, she had forgotten how bliss and good peace was.

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"Raven?" All is not lost! You have not hurt anyone."

Raven's eyes fluttered open. She groaned and sat up, all of a sudden curious about who Slade really was behind his mask. She brushed the thought away, or rather it was pushed away when Starfire squeezed her in a rib-cracking embrace. Remembering the touching words from the mirror's nightmare that Starfire had said, Raven returned the hug.

"What-what happened?" Raven asked, though as the fog over her mind began to clear, she was generating a pretty god idea.

"I will tell you everything I have learned."

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"We've got to help the boys!" Raven declared firmly. She wouldn't lose them again.

Starfire nodded. "Agreed."

Raven walked up the mirror, wincing as images churned behind the glass, and worried that she would fall to its trap again. But at the top of its frame where the gems resided, though a green, red, and blue jewel were shining brightly, the purple and orange ones had cracked, the light gone. They were safe. She watched the mirror more confidently and kept gazing until she glimpsed Robin. She and Starfire focused harder until the picture became clearer.

Two titans down, three to go.

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Two.

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One.

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As soon as everyone was safely out of the mirror, Raven was eager for them to quickly leave. Though it seemed pretty safe, she was still itching with apprehension. But somehow, everyone had started swapping stories and no one budged.

"I guess I didn't really need rescuing, at least, compared to your adventures," Cyborg admitted as Beast Boy finished his story.

"Can we _please_ get out of my room? Make waffles or something?" Raven demanded, because she didn't beg.

"Of course! Let us engorge the midnight snack!"

"Whatever you do, do _NOT_ look back," Raven warned, holding up a "caution" finger.

They all nodded, eager to attack some grub. Starfire took Robin's hand and led them out the door, followed by Cyborg.

Though it was her own room, Raven decided that she could do without it for a bit and turned to also leave. But she saw Beast Boy lingering behind and hastily ushered him out. If only he knew how much he meant to her.

Raven was dying to get the mirror out of her room, but she wondered if she should leave it up. After all, she was in need of a non-magical mirror.

The minute she and Beast Boy walked into the kitchen area, Raven heard clucking. She was about to yell at Starfire to get them **out**, but came up with a better idea.

'Do you guys want fried chicken tonight?"

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Yes, I'm sorry for the blood and things like that. I did warn you. This chapter was…really weird, needless to say, so flame me if you must, but I'm like that. I for one enjoyed writing it, and I hoped you liked it too! Hopefully you understand a little more about the mirror and stuff and more will be explained way later on. Thanks for reading!


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